Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bar and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Bar: $1,235 a month against $1,527 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Bar
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Bar Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Bar

🇲🇪 Montenegro

$1,235

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bar and in Cape Town

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Bar and in Cape Town actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,235 in Bar versus $1,527 in Cape Town.

Bar $1,235
Cape Town $1,527

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,966 in Bar versus $2,417 in Cape Town.

Bar $1,966
Cape Town $2,417

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,697 in Bar versus $3,306 in Cape Town.

Bar $2,697
Cape Town $3,306

Living in Bar costs roughly 19% less than in Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Bar is 9% below, Cape Town is 13% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.28 €10.05

$12.01 R 197

-6.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.2 €49.19

$42.92 R 703

28.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.93 €8.84

$6.15 R 101

61.46%

Cappuccino

$2.45 €2.19

$2.37 R 38.81

3.38%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.27 R 20.84

65.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.68 €2.39

$0.94 R 15.37

185.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.82 €2.51

$2.96 R 48.48

-4.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.09 €2.75

$3.69 R 60.5

-16.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.32 R 21.61

-11.36%

White Bread (500g)

$1.28 €1.14

$1.21 R 19.75

5.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.59 €2.31

$2.20 R 36.05

17.73%

Eggs

$3.20 €2.85

$3.10 R 50.8

3.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.66 €7.71

$8.73 R 143

-0.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.91 €7.05

$6.89 R 113

14.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.31 €10.07

$9.26 R 152

22.14%

Apples (1kg)

$1.39 €1.24

$1.83 R 29.90

-24.04%

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 €1.79

$1.95 R 31.94

3.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.49 €1.32

$1.66 R 27.16

-10.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.76 €2.46

$2.14 R 34.99

28.97%

Potato (1kg)

$0.91 €0.81

$1.58 R 25.86

-42.41%

Onion (1kg)

$1.06 €0.94

$1.47 R 24.15

-27.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.01 €1.79

$1.35 R 22.05

48.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.91 €0.81

$1.14 R 18.75

-20.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.52 €4.03

$3.58 R 58.6

26.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.14 €7.25

$6.05 R 99.2

34.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 €0.79

$1.39 R 22.82

-35.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.22

$2.18 R 35.69

-37.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 €2.01

$1.40 R 22.88

61.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.11 €19.70

$60.8 R 995

-63.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.29 €2.04

$0.93 R 15.18

146.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.10 €0.98

$0.90 R 14.75

22.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.73 €12.23

$4.96 R 81.3

176.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.67 €1.49

$1.54 R 25.23

8.44%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$31.2K €27.8K

$35.4K R 579.4K

-11.69%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$28.6K €25.5K

$33.4K R 546.7K

-14.20%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$111 €98.8

$117 R 1,918

-5.27%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$15.95 €14.21

$25.71 R 421

-37.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.13 €25.95

$39.41 R 646

-26.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.62 €38.86

$51.6 R 846

-15.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.51 €12.93

$11.35 R 186

27.84%

Cinema Ticket

$4.41 €3.93

$8.89 R 146

-50.39%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$321 €286

$308 R 5,040

4.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,981 €6,218

$8,141 R 133.4K

-14.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.5 €55.7

$57.4 R 940

8.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.15 €25.97

$31.75 R 520

-8.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.6 €83.4

$116 R 1,900

-19.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 €99.8

$101 R 1,650

11.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$624 €555

$1,047 R 17.1K

-40.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$432 €385

$669 R 11.0K

-35.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,141 €1,016

$1,861 R 30.5K

-38.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$834 €743

$1,407 R 23.1K

-40.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,996 €2,669

$2,410 R 39.5K

24.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,134 €1,901

$1,570 R 25.7K

35.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$969 €863

$1,630 R 26.7K

-40.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.89

-54.09%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Bar: November 2, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Bar

$432 35%

Cape Town

$669 43.8% 54.8% $237

Groceries & Markets

Bar

$233 18.9%

Cape Town

$223 14.6% 4.3% $9.9

Eating Out

Bar

$189 15.3%

Cape Town

$174 11.4% 7.9% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bar

$156 12.6%

Cape Town

$182 11.9% 16.8% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Bar

$134 10.8%

Cape Town

$138 9% 2.9% $3.8

Sport & Entertainment

Bar

$52 4.3%

Cape Town

$69 4.5% 32.3% $17

Getting Around

Bar

$39 3.2%

Cape Town

$72 4.7% 84.3% $33

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $624 in Bar and $1,047 in Cape Town. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cape Town pays 68% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $55 in Bar vs $43 in Cape Town for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $233 vs $223 per month, with Cape Town cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇪 Bar

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

23:35 11:35 PM

00:35 12:35 AM

1 h ahead of Bar

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

17,727

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 ZAR = 6.1 USD

100 ZAR = 5.44 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 0.891 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 16.38 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.1 USD). 1 EUR = 18.39 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.44 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Bar Cape Town 8,450 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Bar
Cape Town

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Bar vs Cape Town: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bar wins on cost – living expenses run 19% lower than in Cape Town. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Bar the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 41% lower in Bar. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $624 in Bar versus $1,047 in Cape Town. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $321 in Bar versus $308 in Cape Town. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Cape Town pay roughly 4% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Bar is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

It comes down to priorities – Bar wins on affordability, Cape Town on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.